Garment pressing machine



Oct. 25, 1932. BAKER 1,883,862

I GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Original Filed March 17, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 25, 1932. F, E, BAKER 1,883,862

GARMENT PRES S'ING MACHINE Original Filed Ma rch 17'. 1930- s Sheets-Sheet 2 E '8 VII/l/l/l/I/l/l/I/l')filkllllllll/llllllll/n g m Wimzss ,3

TTOE/YEYJ Oct. 25, 1932.

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F. E. BAKER GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Original Filed March 17. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INYfNTOR 6.

M V I flrro lvzm Patented Oct 25, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK E; BAKER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO LOUIS WILL,

- SYRACUSE, NEW YORK GARMENT rnnssme MACHINE Application filed March 17, 1930, Serial No. 436,534. Renewed May 27, 1932.

This invention relates to an ironing press of the class set forth in my pending a plication, Serial No. 367,880, filed May 31s 1929, and refers more particularly to means for regulating thepressureforwork of difierent thicknesses; to means for easing the return of the carriage to its inoperative position, and

to other structural features not disclosed in the pending application referred to;

The main object is to increase the efiiciency of the machine without adding materially to its cost of manufacture.

One of the specific objects is to provide means adjustable at will between the press 8 head and cam lever for varying the pressure of the head upon the work according to the thickness of the material operated upon.

Another object is to reduce the liability of crystallization of the head supporting springs. i

A further specific object isto provide resilient connections between the carriage and track therefor to allow the head supporting carriage to return to its normal rearward and downward position without appreciable jar or vibration to the machine.

Another obj ect-is to provide sliding connections between the cam and upper arms of the carriage to enablethe cam to be operated to and from its pressing position with a minimumpower;

,Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the machine will be brought out in 4 the following description; in the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan of an ironing press embodying the various features of my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation, partly in sec tion, of the same machine. 40- Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken alongthe line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of line 4-4, Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal detail sectional view taken in the plane of line 5-5,

Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical detail sectional viewtaken in the plane of line 6-6, Figure 2.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken in the plane of line 77, Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane of line 8-8, Figure 5.

As illustrated this ironing press comprises a relatively stationary buck -1 and a press head -2 movable toward and from the buck and having an independent transverse movement forwardly, and rearwardly to and from a position directly over the buck.

The buck is mounted upon a laterally elongated bracket -3 having bottom flanges -'4 bolted or otherwise secured to underlying angle irons 5 which extend forwardly and rearwardly in longitudinally spaced relation and are adapted to be mountedupon a cabinet -,A or otherv suitable support, shown by dotted lines in Figure 2.

The bracket 3 and its supporting mem-- bers -5- constitute a part of the main supporting frame but obviously the bracket -3- may be otherwise supported, as for example, by clamping its flanges 4 directly to a table top, shelf or the like. I

The bracket -3' is somewhat V-shaped arranged horizontally so that its upper portion may extend laterally a considerable distance beyond the connecting web with its upper facein a substantially horizontal plane for receiving and supporting the buck -1- in a corresponding plane, thus permitting the work to be drawn over and around either end of the buck when desired.

The upper face of the major portion of the lower arm of the bracket 3 is disposed in a horizontal planefor receiving and supporting a horizontal shelf or table -6-- which extends forwardly and rearwardly some distance beyond the connecting web neck of the bracket to form a temporary support for articles operated upon.

A pair of guide rails, consisting in this instance of channel irons, -7 are boltedor otherwise secured to the inner faces of the to the angle irons -5-' and, if necessary, undersides .of the adjacent portions of the bracket 3-, with the open sides of their channels facing each other, said guide rails being arranged in longitudinally spaced parallel relation to extend forwardly and rearwardly'beneath the bracket 3- and 10C thereforesome distance below the buck -1 and, tabTe V-6', the rear ends of the guide rails being deflected downwardly and rearwardly for a purpose hereafter described.

press head 2 and in order that the press I head may be moved transversely to and from a position over the buck the upper front-portions of the guide rails are disposed in a horizontal plane and extend across the underside of the major portions of the buck from front to rear and some distance beyond the rear edge of the buck.

The rear ends of the rails are deflected downwardly and rearwardly at --7- to cause a corresponding downward and rearward tilting. movement of the carriage and press head after the latter has been moved beyond the rear edge of the buck. See Figures 3 and 4. p

The carriage for supporting the press head comprises a pair of similar U-shaped bars --8 of spring steel or equivalent material arranged in the same horizontal plane in longitudinally spaced relation and in parallel vertical planes in proximity to the inner faces of the guide rails 7- withtheir open sides facin forwardly and spaced apart vertically a su cient distance to receive the bracket --3, buck -l and press head 2 between its lower and upper arms as shown more clearly in Figure 3. a

The lower arms 8 of the bars -8- are connected by a pair of spaced parallel shafts 9 having. tight collars 10- engaging opposite faces of said bars for holding the latter against axial-movement on the shafts and also for holding the bars in parallel vertical planes.

The shafts -9 are extended outwardly some distance beyond the carriagebars -8- in alignment with the grooves or channels in the guide rails 7- and are provided with rollers --11 movable along andupon-the lower walls of said channels for guiding the head 2- in its forward and rearward movement and also for causing the head to tilt rearwardly and downwardly when the rollers of the rear shaft 9 are engaged with the inclined portion 7'-- of the track as shown by dottedlines in Figure 3.

1 Suitable means is provided for yieldingly holding the carriage a ainst undue rearward movement,

the inclined portion 7- and thereby avoiding excessive shock to the apparatus when approaching the limit of its rearward movement and for this purpose a coil spring '12-- has one end connected to the inter-;

mediate portion of the rear shaft 9 and its other end connected to a flexible member such as a chain 13 which, in turn, is connected to the intermediate portion of atie rod 14- connecting the front ends of the articular y when riding downguiderails 7 as shown more clearly in collars or rollers on the front 'shaftv-9- for limiting the forward movement of the carriage.

The upper arms as 8" of the carriage bars '8- extend across the top of the press head ,2 I substantially parallel with the lower arms-8- so that considerable space is left between the rear edges of the press head, buck and rear upright portions of the carriage bars 8 when the carriage is moved forwardlyto its pressing position to permit free passage of the articles operated upon through the intervening space as well gs elrlitirely around the marginal edges of the The press head 2 is suspended, in a manner presently described,- from the front ends of a pair of leaf springs -16 having their rear ends bent in the form of reentrant coils 16 and bolted or otherwise secured to the upper rear portions of the carriage bars .l8- as shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 7.

The object of the coil 16 is to reduce the liability of crystallization of any part of the springs resulting from frequent vibration thereof during the pressing and releasing operations of the press head and at the same time affording a greater degree of resiliency than would be possible with straight springs rigidly attached at their rear 'endsto their carriage bars.

The front end of each spring 16 has an independent connection with the head 2- consisting,- in this instance, of sepa-[ rate plates ll7 having upturned lugs 17- pivotally connectedat 18 to the front ends of the springs 16- as shown These tiebolts and --20' are ar -Z t ranged to normally support the head 2 in a plane some distance below the lower 7 edges of the upper arms 8- of the carriage leaving an intervening space for the reception and operation of a pressure applying element and a pressure transfer element,

presently described, together with suitable anti-friction bearing devices betweenthe pressure applying element and lower edges of the upper arms -8 -8- of the carriage and having its intera substantially vertical position,

Suitable anti-friction devices are interposed between the lower edges of the upper arms8" of the carriage and the pressure applying element and, as shown more clearly in Figure 6, this anti-friction device comprises a pair of channeled slides -22 arranged with their open sides uppermost for receiving the adjacent ends of the arms 8 and their bottom portions in sufiiciently spaced relation to the lower edges of said arms to receive a series of rollers -23 which bear against the bottoms of the channel members 22 and lower edges of the corresponding arms -8-.

The slides -22- are somewhat longer than the combined diameters of the rollers -23-and are provided at-their opposite ends with abutments -24- to prevent displacement of the rollers from their respective slides.

The opposite upright sides of each slide 22 are provided with elongated slots 25 for receiving a pin 25 on the adjacent arm -8.- of the carriage, said slot and pin serving to guide the members -22 in their sliding movement along their respective arms 8 and also 'to\]imit the movements of said slides relatively to the arms.

The pressure applying element consists, in

this instance, of a cam plate 26 normally resting flatwise against the underside of both of the slides 22-, said cam plate belng extended across the intervening space between and under the lower edges of the upper arms mediate portion provided with an upwardly and forwardly extending handle 26 by which the cam plate may be rocked forwardly and rearwardly' from a normal horizontal position, shown by full lines in Figure 6, to shown by dotted lines in the-same figure.

Suitable bearing members are adapted to be interposed between the cam plate -26- and upper face of the adjacent portion of the press head 2 for transferring pressure from the cam plate to the press head as the cam plate is rocked from its normal horizontal position to its vertical position for a pur-. pose of forcing the press head to difi'erent' pressing positions relatively to the buck.

These transfer devices are similar in construction and operation and each comprises a hub- 27 secured by a set screw or equivalent fastening means to the lower end of an upright tube or sleeve 28- which encircles the tie bolt -20-, Figures 2 and 3, and has its upper end extending loosely through a registering aperture in the plate 17-- and provided with a handle -29 by which it may be turned to rotate the hub '--27.

Each hub is provided with a plurality of, in this instance five, radial arms 29 numbered respectively in sequence 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5,

as shown in Figure 5, the upper face of the outer end of each arm being provided with a transverse groove 30 for receiving one edge of the cam plate -TQG'.

The lower faces of these arms are disposed 3l and32 respectively to receive the tie bolt -19 and sleeve -28, the front edge of opposite ends of the cam plate being also provided with recesses -33 for receivin g pendant lugs on the undersides of the slides 22, as shown more clearly in Figures 5 and 6, for the purpose of holding the cam plate against endwise movement while permitting its free vertical rocking movement from the position shown by full lines in Figure 6 to the position shown by dotted lines in the same figure and vice versa. Aside from the recesses just described the opposite ends of the cam plate are somewhat wider than its intermediate portion so as to effect the desired vertical movement of the press head 2 against the action of the springs -16 when the cam plate is rocked from its normal position to its pressing position by means of the hand lever 26- which is shown in its normal position by full lines in Figure 3 and in its pressing position by dotted lines in the same figure, thepress head being also shown by dotted lines in its press ing position.

Each of the pressure-transfer members 27-- may be rotated independently of the other by means of its handle .-29' to suecessively bring the outer ends of each of the arms 29- into registration with the corresponding recess 31+ and rear edges of the adjacent portions of, the cam plate -26.

The distance between the axis of the pressure transfer member -27 and grooves -30- inthe outer ends of the arms thereof is substantially equal to the distance between the same axis and the inner wall of there cess 31-, so that when the pressure transfer members are properly adjusted to bring corresponding arms -*.29 into registration plate -26 will cause the inner walls of the recess 31-- to engage in the adjacent grooves -30- of the registering arms 29- while the rear end walls of the recesses -33- will be brought into engagement with the 'undersides'of the adjacent portions of the slides 22- with suificient friction to move said slides rearward along the front ends of the upper arms '8" -of the carriage from the position shown by full lines in Figure 6 to the position shown by dotted lines in the same figure, the object of which is to reduce frictional resistance between the cam plate and lower edges of the arms -8" and at the same time to force the press head 2--- downwardly into pressing co-action with the V buck 1 against the action of the springs When the hand lever 26 is returned to its starting position, thereby returning the cam plate 26- to its horizontal position, the press head -2' will be automatically elevated by the tension of the springs 16 after which the carriage may be moved rearwardly from the position shown by full lines to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig- .ure'3, thislatter operation being, eii'ected by rearward pressure upon the hand lever for moving the press head 2-- to different pressing positions relatively to the buck.

exact positions of the several arms of each of the pressure transfer members 27- the identification numbers onsaid arms are arranged uniform distances from their axis of rotation While the cam plate 26- is provided with sight openings --35-- at the same I distance from the axis of rotation of the members 27-- so that the identificatlonnumbers on thearms 29- may be visible through said openings.

As a furthermeans for properly posit-1oning the arms of the pressure transfer mem-v hers -27, the opposite ends of the cam plate 26- areprovided in their lower sides with bars or posts 36- rigid therein and adapted to enter corresponding sockets or depressions 37- in the upper faces of the arms 29- to hold the pressure transfer members 27- against accidental displacement from adjusted positions, it being understood that the springs 16 are sufliciently resilient to allow a slight depression of the vhead 2- as the upper surfaces of the arms 29, ride against the lower faces of the bars or osts 36- when adjusting the member '-2 and when the sockets are regis-- tered with the bars 36'-- the press head will vbe instantly elevated to seat in the'sockets against the bars with a more or less snap action.

The connections between the rear ends of the springs 16'and rear portion of the carriage bars 8- are similar, one of said connections being shown more clearly in Figure 7 as consisting of a bolt 38- headed against the outer face of the adjacent carriage bar 8- and extending through an -3'8- could be adjusted rotarily when desired for increasing the tension of its spring and then retightened by the clamping nuts 39 The buck 1-1- may be hollow or solid but will preferably be covered with a pad or cloth upon which the articles to be ironed are pressed.

On the other hand the press head 2- is preferably hollow and adapted to be heated by any suitable heating means such, for example, as that shown in my pending applications, Serial No. 367,380, filed May 21, 1929,

p t or. 400,652, filed October 18, 1929, both press- In order that the operator may know the ing elements being elongated laterally to about the same length and of substantially the same width transversely so as to iron a relatively large area of the work in a single operation.

Operation spread out by hand upon the surface of the buck l after which the head supporting carriage will be drawn forwardly by means of the hand lever 26'- aided by the tension of the spring 12 until the directly over the buck.

7 The handlever 26-' is then rocked rearwardly to effect a corresponding upward and rearward rocking movement of the cam plate press head is -26 to engage its rear edge in the register? ing grooves 3O of the pressure transfer member 27 during which operation the press head -2 will be forced downwardly into pressing co-action with the buck and against the action of the springs 16-.

Immediately following the pressing operation the hand lever 26 "will be rocked forwardly and downwardly-to its starting position, thereby releasing the head -2. and allowing the springs 1'6 to elevate the same awayifrom the buck.

These operationsmay be repeated upon the different portions of the same article until the ironing of the article is completed whereupon the carriage with the head thereon may be moved rearwardly by means of the hand lever 26'- until the rollers 11 registration with the adjacent recesses-31- whereupon the cam plate -26- may be rocked to its pressing position and returned after each pressing operation.

The movement of the head supporting carriage to and from its pressing position requires very little hand power, the same being also true in the operation of the cam plate by means of the lever 26' when forcing the ment with the articles on the buck 1 it being understood that during this movement of the camplate to and from itspressing position the slides 22- will be moved with out appreciable friction along the front ends of the carriage arm 8"--, thereby further reducing the power required for the operation of the press head toward and from the buck. r V

It will be understood from the-foregoing description that when the cam plate is turned from its normal horizontal position to its vertical pressing position the springs -16+ will be placed under tension until. the further movement of the press head is limited by the buck under which conditions the front ends of the upper arms 8- will have sufficient resiliency to permit the camplate to be moved to its extreme vertical position.

In other words in almost allof the pressing operations of the cam plate -26- the maximum pressure will be determined by the resiliency of the front ends of the carriage arms 8" in which the tension is far greater than that of the springs 16-, the

latter serving to permit the operation of the press head into pressing co-action with the buck and also to return the press head to its uppermost position when the cam lever is restored to its inoperative position.

The mechanism shown and described is particularly simple and eflicient in carrying out the objects ofthe invention but obviously may be changed in certain details without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is: y

1. In an ironing press, a buck, a press-head, a sliding carriage, spring-means on the carriage supporting the press-head, means for press head into ironing engageforcing the press-head toward the buck including a pressure-applying element movable relatively to the head and carriage, and a pressure-transfer element having parts of different thicknesses movable to and from a position between the pressure-applying element and press-head for varying the pressing position'of the head relatively to the buck.

2. In an ironing press, a buck, a track extending transversely of and 'below the buck, a carriage movable along the track and having a portion thereof movable to and from a position above the buck, a press-head mounted on said portion of the carriage to move therewith to and from a position directly over the buck and having an independent vertical movement toward and from the buck,

and means for forcing the press-head toward parts of different thickness movable to and from a position between the press-head and pressure applying element for varying the position of the press-head relatively to the buck.

3. In an ironing press, a buck, a press-head, a spring-suspension for the press-head, and means for forcing the press-head toward the buck including a pressure-applying element, and a rotary pressure-transfer element having parts of different thickness movable to and from a position between the head and pressure applying element as the pressuretransfer element is rotated for varying the pressing position of the head relatively to the buck.

4. In an ironing press, a buck, a carriage having a portion thereof movable to and from a position above the buck, a press-head yieldingly mounted on said carriage for vertical movement toward and from the buck, slides on the carriage, and means including a cam plate reacting against said slides for moving the head to its pressing position.

5. In an ironing press, a having spaced arms movable to and from a position above "the buck, a press-head yieldingly mounted on said arms for'independent vertical movement toward and from the buck, slides on said arms, and means including a cam reacting against said slides for forcing the head to its pressing positions.

6. In an ironing press, abuck, a track extending transversely of and below the buck, a carriage movable along the track and having a portion thereof movable to and from a position above the buck, a press-head mounted on said portion of the carriage to move therewith to and from a position directly over the buck and having an independent vertical movement toward and from the buck, a press-head yieldingly mounted on the upper buck, a carriage no the carriage, and means including a cam plate I reaction against said slides and press-head for forcing the press-head to its pressing position. J r

7. In an ironing press, a buck, aU-shaped carriage arranged edgewise vertically with a its open side facing forwardly and its oppo- I site arms extended below and above the buck respectively, a press-head spring-suspended from the upper arm of the carriage, a cam plate tiltable transversely of and between the head and upper. arm of the carriage for forcing the head to its pressing position, and slid ing bearings between the cam plates and upper arm of the carriage.

8. In an ironing press of the character described, a buck, a supporting element extending over the top of the buck, springs mounted on said supporting element, a press head mounted on the springs, a cam plate between said elements for moving the head toward the buck against the action of the springs, and v slidable bearings between the cam plate and one of said elements. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 7 hand this 10th day of March 1930.

- FRANK E. BAKER. 

